French singing superstar, known as the French Elvis. A major rock star from the ’60s, he created a sensation in France in 1961 with his biggest hit, a multi-lingual version of Chubby Checker’s popular song, “Let’s Twist Again,” which sold over a million copies. Despite a lack of enthusiasm from the recording industry, Hallyday’s fame, stemming from his talent for revamping popular British and American hit songs, reached legendary proportions in several countries. He has over 30 albums to his credit.
After his Belgian father left the family, Jean-Philippe, who assumed his uncle’s surname (Halliday) as his own (later becoming Hallyday), was adopted by his aunt Helen Mar and raised in Paris. Learning to play guitar and violin, he began performing with his uncle, variety star Lee Hallyday, in a song-and-dance act. By 1960, heavily influenced by the popularity of American rock ’n’ roll, Hallyday made his radio debut, and in 1961 he appeared in the film, “Les Parisiennes.” The most successful album of his career, “Johnny Hallyday Sings America’s Rockin’ Hits,” was released in 1962. Soon thereafter, the popularity of the Beatles swept the world, dampening the momentum of Hallyday’s career, but he remained popular in France for several more years and continued to perform throughout Europe.
Married multiple times, one of his wives was a popular French singer from the ’60s, Sylvie Vartan, with whom he had a son, David, in 1966. His 5th wedding (to his 4th wife) took place on 25 March 1996 at Noon in Neuilly sur Seine, France, when Hallyday married the 31-year-younger Laeticia Boudou.
In 2013, he published his biography “Dans mes yeux” interviewed by Amanda Sthers.
In 2006 he moved to Gstaad, Switzerland, to suffer less under French tax laws, with a tax rate of 70% compared to 30% in Switzerland. He maintained a secondary home in Los Angeles. In July 2009 he was diagnosed with colon cancer and underwent surgery. Surgery for Disk hernia was performed in November 2009 in Paris.
Hallyday died of lung cancer at 10:10 pm on 5 December 2017 in Marnes-la-Coquette, near Paris, at the age of 74.
Link to Wikipedia biography